Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Work and Social Capital

The Labor Law Group

The Labor Law Group had its origins in Professor Willard Wirtz's 1946 call for the development of better books and materials for the instruction of law students on labor law. In response to Wirtz’s address approximately forty labor law professors and practitioners met in Ann Arbor in 1947 to discuss the problem and begin work on a book. With the publication of their first book in 1953 these same academics and practitioners formed the Labor Law Group as a non-profit trust dedicated to the development of materials for the preparation of law students for the practice of labor and employment law.

The “Group process” for developing books consists of Group meetings among members and practitioners to plan and assign projects; the writing and editing of the project by the assigned members; editing of the project by the Group’s Executive Committee; and publication of the project with all royalties returned to the Group to fund future meetings and projects.

The Group currently has nine books published with Thomson/West and Foundation Press.

Speaking to the Next Generation:
Concerned about labor conditions of workers who made his stuffed monkey, 8-month old Will Lawrie of Ithaca, New York consults the Labor Law Group’s International Labor Law textbook (he appears to be reading James Atleson’s chapter on international labor solidarity).